Building a garage. What do I need?
 

Just bought a new house and it only has a carport. I don’t have enough room for my toys so I’m building a detached garage! This will be my first “built for me” garage so I’m looking for ideas on features that I need to build into the garage (things that can’t be added later). I plan to start building at the first of the year.

Thinking about a 3 –car garage measuring 36’x22’. The house was built by an architect who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright and the garage will be built to match the house.

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...tsgfm6jycj.jpg

The garage will definitely have the following:
• HVAC
• Plenty of outlets
• Lift (still debating 2 or 4 post)

What am I missing? Thoughts on lights, floor finish, built-ins, etc. are welcome.

I don't see Palm trees in your picture so in floor heating might be considered.

What do I need?
 

A membership on the Garage Journal Forums.

See ya there.

The list for mine (soon to start hopefully) includes:

- plenty of outlets
- 110 and 220
- air lines
- closet for compressor
- exhaust vent
- provisions for a lift (slab, power and height)
- drainage (in case you want to wash car inside)
- some light fixtures on the walls
- provisions for parts washer
- HVAC, intercom, telephone, internet and tv
- Alarm and cctv
- full bath and closet
- Rolling work table (thinking of making it using rolling tool chests and butcher's block)
- mezzanine area for storage of spares (you will have take offs...)
- storm windows (did I mention I'm in SoFla?)
- Insulated garage door
- polished + sealed cement floor; I have not seen an epoxy product that does not peel yet
- retractable extension cords and work lights

I have more ideas listed at my office.

Heated floors
Thicker slab than you're thinking
Taller ceiling than you're thinking

Floor drains maybe a problem depending on where you are and how much the building dept. will get involved. Some building dept. will require a floor drain in a shop to be routed through a oil/water seperator which is big bucks. Some could care less but need to ask the question early on.

Internet access
Covered/paved outside storage
microwave
refrigerator
Calender with girls on it.

Paul, very true on the drain. Not easy.... (or cheap)

+1
A membership on the Garage Journal Forums.

After reading Garage Journal Forums, you will be to tired to ask............

Two or three seperated bays are nice.
One with lift for greasy mechanicals. One for grinding/sawing/fabing/etc. One for clean room painting.

Heat what you need in-floor, and foam insulate the sides of slab down past the frost line.

In-floor lighting next to the lift would be a dream feature of mine(shoplight cord vs. creeper).
Perhaps channels of smooth glass block.

Bigger is better. Mine is 28x 50 and I can barely walk through it. You want it deep. That way you can have a car, shelves and still room to move around. I have shelving on almost every wall possible except where there are benches, tools and if course don't forget a slop sink. I also have a bathroom which is nice. Heat, AC, big screen, full stereo, lift. - you know, the standard garage stuff. Add on a shed for the lawn tools and bikes to get them out of the way.

36' x 22' is to small

I don't know what you drive but a Chevy Suburban is about 19'

After you put in cabinets (you can never have enough storage) you won't be able to walk around.

I am thinking min 48' x 28'.

Nice looking house. Look forward to seeing what you end up building. Agree with all posters re size. Its the same as budgeting construction: take your estimate and double it.

- Lots of natural light is also very nice. Too many garages have no windows at all.
- more than one entry/exit
- if you plan to put a man door in make it wide enough to roll a motorcycle in/out
- place to store spent oil/fuids
- over head retractable air hose
- in wall/ceiling sound system

Dosen't matter how big you build it, when you get 'er done you'll go, "Damn! should of made it bigger!";)

Minimum 12' ceilings, 14" is better. 12/2 20amp wiring on all the outlets, two post lift is a must.

I love my man cave:D

A crapper, 220V, high ceiling for a lift, shower, dishwasher for parts, lockable storage....

I almost forgot.......stripper pole.;)

36x26 is better. Garage Journal is a must, but yoiu are going to need engineered drawings to start. You might get a book of garage plans from HD or Lowes. Cheapest way to get plans, and peruse your options.

Thank you for the comments! The house is in mid-state South Carolina and A/C is more critical than heat (although I do want heat). No frost line here.

Now is the time to decide size so I like the idea of a little bigger versus smaller. I am a little constrained on width by setbacks. However, I can go deeper (26' or 30') on depth.

I'll check out the Garage Journal Forums.

Power vents to draw air OUT

Large tub to wash battery acid off of skin or the dog on a fair day

Beer fridge

MOAR room!

To get around the floor drain you need to have one floor area that is the wash area that's slopt to drain well!


Please post some pics of your home on my random home thread

+100 on more size. I thought 32X25 would be just fine - it isn't. Also more height is good. I made mine 10' and could have easily gone 12', which I should have done also.

Go deeper, you won't regret it. Also, lots of windows. Why do people always wanna build a detached garage with no windows? I see if all the time.

In 1994, I built a 36 x 27 myself for $7,200 (no permits)....Only paid labor was the day the concrete was poured...I had 2 roll-up doors and the third bay had large windows and a man door. Sheeted between the trusses for overhead storage...Wired for 110 and 220, no water...

Will you ever make a lotus 7 replica? If so you'll want 4 hardpoints on the floor that you can square up and jig a frame.

I would also want a few other hardpoints that I could bolt my roll away down to.

Will you ever need to get anything heavy into/ out of a bed of a pick up truck? A hardpoint on the ceiling would be great.

Will you have oily rags? chemicals? Gunpowder? wood dust, metal shavings? How will you contain them. What about fire?

I want a wash tub that has foot pedals like a Dr. has so that when my hands are greasy I can opperate the faucet.

I'm looking right now of building my own house and garage. I have another problem. Joanna my wife might need a wheel chair. I'm looking at needing around 44" of room from her car door to another car door or wall.

She's also in need of a low ledge lip to get into the house from the garage.

Bigger. 22 feet is too narrow. You'll get two cars in next to each other but when you have one wall lined with stuff it will be tight. 24 should be the minimum with 26 being better. With 38 feet deep its just enough for cars and benches on the back wall.


I went 24 x 38,in retrospect 2 feet more in both directions would have been better.

Fixed it for ya ;)

I went with a 30X40, only because it was as big as I could legally build on my lot, and as tall as I could get away with(16').

My concrete is over a foot in some spots (As others have pointed out this is very important. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319988482.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319988588.jpg
And connect your shop to your drive..http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319988704.jpg
One thing the concrete guy didn't do, that he was suppose to do (and I'm having done today) is the drainage from the connecting slab.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319989383.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319989578.jpg
As for the roof, I had the trusses designed to I could use hanging shelving (kinda like a loft) to keep the floor space clear, and using 3/4 threaded rod will be adjustable height and sectional.. I can add these as needed.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319989846.jpg

I went with a full ridge vent, between that, 2 windows in the back (36X36, single hung {see if you can get double hung, I couldn't in FL. because of hurricane codes, which my shop has been built not only too code, but exceeded it} a 8'X16' roll up door (had to order it, will be in next week) and a 36X80 man door, so I have good air flow.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319990332.jpg
I was told 4 different distances by the city, after they signed off, after the 1st concrete was poured, (that slab was a cluster fluck on its own, and had to be completely redone) the City guy came back & said it was too close the the property line (I also had to remove a garden shed on the other side of the property, that was there when I bought the house) so, I now have an extra walk between the fence & shop(he said I didn't have to tear it out).
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319990689.jpg
And having it extended today as well, so all is uniform.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319990832.jpg
The most important thing to remember, have a good supervisor..http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319991065.jpg

Beside the length and width extension, how about height? I would like a taller garage so I can store stuff, like my Kayak, on the raters. running water and a toilet is also important. I am know nothing about heat. Around here, there is no need but a long sleeve shirt.

I went with 12' Block walls, and like I stated, had trusses built to hold a gig load (1,000 every 6') as to toilet, plenty of trees behind the shop:p
Going aheaD and adding a drain inside too today..

My buddy just had his detached garage built, adding a can (legally) would have run him another $15-20K.
He added bushes behind the garage instead.

12' is a nice height. I started doing cabinet work out of my parents garage during college. They had an older Spanish home with a high ceiling including the garage plus a bathroom plumbed in when the house was built. I only wish I had those two things in my own garage.

Network (CAT5), phone (again, more CAT5) and coax for cable tv run to the garage.... in a separate conduit from the electrical. Multiple network jacks of each type scattered around the inside.

This gives you an idea how tall it actually is..:D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1320015597.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1320015394.jpg

I’ll try to contribute more with more detail because ‘garage construction’ is a current interest.

Significant is this prior image:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1320020128.jpg




Some (lame?) computer program may have inspired this design.
In real life I suspect there is a flaw.


Without any other research or design engineering, I’ll ask the following design question:
Is this an improvement?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1320020188.jpg


Hopefully more to come.

Best,
Grady

Actually an engineer/builder friend designed these in conjunction with hanging loft shelving, they were suppose to be 2X8s all the way across, then it went to computer for load testing.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1320021414.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1320021473.jpg

Byron,

I will yield to a PE’s design.

It doesn’t alter my question.
When it doesn’t ‘look right’, I offer a question.
I have even done this with Porsche engineers (several decades ago).
and … my PE altered his truss design when questioned.

Best,
Grady

10 foot walls with 2x6s.
Rafters instead of trusses for lift clearance or future stairway/upper loft storage area later.
Roll up doors (auto opener on one) so you can raise a car and not hit the door.
I'd like drain/indoor wash space too. :cool:
Sky lights, several.
Rain gutters.
Coupe of doors and slider windows.
3 foot eves.
Maybe a header on one side for future side car port.
Shallow pit for sunken scissor lift.
Phone/TV/cable/internet.
220 and 110, min amp service unknown?
Outdoor air comperssor plumbed inside.
Out door motion lights.
Big flat pad in front large enuf to turn around your pick up and car trailer.
Covered side parking for trailer.
Got to have a bathroom!

you didn't mention if you had a lane, I did and built my 26 x 30', planning to widen to 26' x 47' and that will be nice but if you can afford it, like the other guys have said go bigger you won't regret it. A bath room with shower is something that I missed but will include. Cable and phone are cool too. Build it tall 12' look big 10 if the permits will allow. Lots of steel and mesh in the floor and go thick.
I did a drive through build from the lane to the backyard, 1 - 18' door and 1 - 9', takes up alot of counter space but it works good for me. Plan lots so you get what you want. I did my 4' lights on 4 switches so I can have it a bit dimmer when I'm watching the tv and hangin out. Plan for a beer fridge and then fill it with cars. Whatcha got?
Finn